The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-02-24
HOMEGROWN Luxuries.

sire to plant and SOW many acres in
what are known as the standard or
commercial crops, ordinarily neglect
to raise many little things that are
very conducive to good living. Per-
haps the shortness of the season in this
part of the country is the main cause
of this neglect. 1t is certain that the
tables of people who live in towns are
much better supplied with fine garden
vegetables and small fruits than those
OF families who live on farms, especially
on large farms or those that are but
but partially improved. Farmers gen.
orally have cabbage, onions, beets.
carrots, turnips, cucumbers, and to-
matoes, but very few of them raise
caulitlOwer, which is as easily raised
as cabbage, or egg plant, which can
be produced with as little trouble as
tomatoes. Celery is very rarely found
IN farmhouse unless it is brought
from some large town, which is sup
piled with vegetables by a market
gardener By the old methods celery
was very expensive plant to raise
and blanch, but by the improved
methods it can be grown with little
difficulty, and it deserves to have
place in the garden of every farmer.
Almost everyone who raises coru
has green ears for roasting and boil
ing. But on many farms the time of
using them is limited to two or three
weeks, the usual period for corn to re-
main in the milk state. All the corn
is planted at about the same time, and
and as a matter of course it all ma
lures or becomes hard in about the
same number of days after the seed
was planted. 1t does not seem to
occur to most farmers to plant a few
hills of corn during every week from
April to July and thereby secure a sue
cession of roasting ears. Many farm
erS do not plant sweet corn for table
purposes because they have no seed or
for fear it will mix with their ordin-
airy dent or flint corn. They deprive
themselves OF a great and very cheap
luxury by not planting sweet corn at
different times in the spring and early
summer so as to secure a succession of
green ears. Popcorn is as desirable in
the winter as sweet corn is during the
summer and the early part of the fall.
1t is as easily raised as common field
corn, is an excellent article of food,
can be prepared for eating without eX-
pense, and is prOmotive of household
happiness. Still popcorn, plain or
sugared, is more common in the city
than i'll the country.
The condiments chiefly found on
farmhouse tables are pepper, vinegar,
catsup, and mustard. Not infrequent-
ly grated horseradish is found. But
the garden radish, one of the most de-
Gcious of vegetables, as we'll as one of
the best of appetizers, is rarely raised
by farmers. The few who do raise
garden radishes SOW all the seed at one
slime, and have them in a tender and
crisp condition but a few weeks at
most. By sowing few seeds on rich,
sandy soil every week from the time
the frost leaves the soil till the latter
part of summer fine radishes can be
secured for at least half the year. Bv
sowing the seed Of the black Spanish
radiSh at about the time the seed of
fiat turnips is usually sown a supply of
somewhat inferior radishes can be OBJ
tanned for use during cold weather.
Garden cress, or pepper-grass, is not
as generally raised as it was many
years ago, though it is an excellent
relish, especially when used on cold
meal. Watercress has no superior as
relish, and it can be raised almost
without trouble on the banks of
streams, the margin of springs, or the
shores of lakes. A bed once establish
ed will remain i'll good condition for
years. and will supply fresh stalks for
the table from early i'll the spring till
winter.
Few farmers pay much attention to
raising melons, and their use IS less
common in the country than in the
city. They do not rank very high as
articles of food, but they contribute to
good living. During the past few
years the consumption of melons has
increased very fast in cities, and house
keepers find them economical to buy,
as they take the place of pastry. Good
melons can be raised as far north as
corn can, and every farmers family
should be well supplied with them.
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